Sam_Brown Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 Morning guys, We've had a few issues recently with the Exams Officier not being able to access Exams Organiser. She can use it on their computer just fine but when they try and access it from home through the Terminal Servers it throws an error stating "Automation Error". Few threads talk about permissions but I've given the user full permissions on the exams folder. No luck. Others say reinstall SIMS but not too keen to do that if I don't have to. Any ideas?
bossman Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 @Sam_Brown: You might want to follow this: Examinations Organiser Notes Automation Error when accessing Exams Organiser Unable to log into Exams Organiser Validation error Happening on one workstation Additional Notes This happens when Microsoft Updates have not been run on the affected workstation. We recommend that the Windows Updates are run regularly. Advice 1. Run a Windows Update on the affected machine via Internet Explorer - Tools | Windows Update 2. Uninstall SIMS Infrastructure via Add/Remove Programs 3. Install SIMS Infrastructure by running e.g. S:\SIMS\SETUPS\SimsInfrastructureSetup.exe 4. Locate the SIMS .net folder and rename this to SIMSold. 5. Run SIMSApplicationSetup.exe To the letter and all will be well my friend 4
Gatt Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 +bossman's comment - this is the only way I've found to recover this Usually happens after every SIMS update....
vikpaw Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 That's basically reinstalling SIMS though! I think this is related to an older problem whereby the Exams machine can't be updated by the end user, and it needs to be an administrator account. That then sorts out all the issues.
Gatt Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 That's basically reinstalling SIMS though! I think this is related to an older problem whereby the Exams machine can't be updated by the end user, and it needs to be an administrator account. That then sorts out all the issues. Unfortunately, I have found this error to re-occur even if SIMS is updated as a Domain Administrator or if Staff are given Full Control access to the %ProgramFiles%\SIMS\* and %WINDIR%\SIMS.ini
Lakram Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 Just read this thread, as I'm usually perusing Capita Forums. I spent about 6 months (not continously of course) trying to figure out this exams problem and eventually came across this Microsoft White Paper Microsoft Download Center - Default Access Control Settings in Windows Server 2003 This forum won't allow me to post links yet as I've not posted enough, so you'll have to Google the document. After reading page 12, I gave the secedit command a try (under test conditions) and it 'fixed' the problem where Automation Errors appear in Exams after every upgrade. Unfortunately our network is not under our control and the security team refused to apply it to our schools. No reason why. just a refusal. If you control your own networks, it may do the trick for you.
vikpaw Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 @Lakram Isn't that document : Download Details - Microsoft Download Center - Default Access Control Settings in Windows Server 2003 basically saying that users need to be power users. The 'fix' just adds extra permissions to the users group so they don't need to be power users. Plus it's talking about server 2003. The upgrade was tried as an administrator, and i think most users are now power users at the least, so i'm not sure if that fix would have any effect. I can see that it looks like a permissions thing though, so maybe they lose some permissions whilst connected via Terminal Servers.
Lakram Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 Agreed, it's not an overarching solution to everyone's problem, but there are plenty of LAs who don't have everyone set as power users (alas we are but one) and it may help them a bit. There might be a similar template for server 2008, I just haven't had the time to look for it yet, but no guarantees of that of course. Exams 7 for Sims .net would be nice.
vikpaw Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 Agreed, it's not an overarching solution to everyone's problem, but there are plenty of LAs who don't have everyone set as power users (alas we are but one) and it may help them a bit. There might be a similar template for server 2008, I just haven't had the time to look for it yet, but no guarantees of that of course. Exams 7 for Sims .net would be nice. You can probably get away with simsperm.bat - there's a thread here for that showing the group policy settings, also, there was another thread, where someone tried to do the same for windows 7, which is more complex.
Lakram Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 Trust me vikpaw, we've tried every known solution to mankind (womankind too) to no avail. Simsperm didn't help, but thanks anyway. We can avoid it if a Local Admin logs in to sims on the exams PCs before a user, but that's a pain and not always possible. We're moving sims onto a different network over the next year or two, so hopefully the problem will go away, but I'll be watching this thread closely. Incidentally, can I private message you via this website? Your location is of interest to me and I can't use msn or skype.
FragglePete Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 Believe me too, I've tried every thing to solve this. Always get this after a SIMS Update specifically on the Exams Officers' Workstation. The only way I've found around it is either 1. Login in as a Domain Admin and let the SIMS update as normal or 2. Do what has been specificed above, ie. Uninstall SIMS, Rename Folder and re-install all of SIMS. It's a real PITA. I'm more annoyed that SIMS just expects users to be Administrators of their machines on a network. We use simsperm and this does allow updating of SIMS normally, but this problem suggests that it only works on part of SIMS. Pete
Gatt Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 It's a real PITA. I'm more annoyed that SIMS just expects users to be Administrators of their machines on a network. We use simsperm and this does allow updating of SIMS normally, but this problem suggests that it only works on part of SIMS. I just apply Full Control permissions to the folder via Group Policy to allow updates, but still need to reinstall SIMS on the Exams workstation...
matt40k Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 Morning guys, We've had a few issues recently with the Exams Officier not being able to access Exams Organiser. She can use it on their computer just fine but when they try and access it from home through the Terminal Servers it throws an error stating "Automation Error". Few threads talk about permissions but I've given the user full permissions on the exams folder. No luck. Others say reinstall SIMS but not too keen to do that if I don't have to. Any ideas? I would logon as administrator, set the environment to install mode, run simsapplicationsetup.exe, set the environment mode back to normal, then try.
Sam_Brown Posted July 20, 2011 Author Posted July 20, 2011 It's a real PITA. I'm more annoyed that SIMS just expects users to be Administrators of their machines on a network. We use simsperm and this does allow updating of SIMS normally, but this problem suggests that it only works on part of SIMS. Pete We had a SIMS engineer in yesterday to upgrade our FMS databases. We had an issue with some users not being able to use the FMS Database Selector and his recomendation was to just let those users be local administrators which personally I don't want to do. I don't know what it is about SIMS but I can't think of any other piece of software we run where the recommended course of action to fix an issue is to make the affected users local administrators...
Gatt Posted July 20, 2011 Posted July 20, 2011 We had a SIMS engineer in yesterday to upgrade our FMS databases. We had an issue with some users not being able to use the FMS Database Selector and his recomendation was to just let those users be local administrators which personally I don't want to do. I don't know what it is about SIMS but I can't think of any other piece of software we run where the recommended course of action to fix an issue is to make the affected users local administrators... I had to tweak the Borland thingie in the control panel as it was placing a file in the root of the C: Drive I created a Borland folder and gave full control rights to a FMS Security group, then editted the Borland applet thingie to the new location, this then solved that error I avoid giving anyone Local or Domain rights wherever possible...
Sam_Brown Posted July 22, 2011 Author Posted July 22, 2011 Right all sorted. Uninstalling and Reinstalling seems to have fixed the issue. No doubt it will go ***s up again when we upgrade to the summer release but for now the exams officer is happy!
kennysarmy Posted August 16, 2013 Posted August 16, 2013 We've just had this occur on our exams PC after the 2013 summer upgrade...surely SIMS should have sorted this out by now... Guess I will be un-installing and re-installing
Gatt Posted August 16, 2013 Posted August 16, 2013 **Shudders** Have they STILL not fixed this??? C'mon Capita what are you playing at?! I hate this error (or rather did hate it!) No seriously, I HATE it.. not just "yeah i hate it when that happens" kind of hate, but the one where I got a serious ass-whooping for it! I had this happen to me a couple of years back (just before I left the school [Literally just before I left the school!]) I'd rebuilt the whole network and got it all up and ready for results day. Took a long weekend of the Bank Hol during which, an update went out that crippled Exams Organizer - resulting in me getting some irate Voicemail's and Text Messages from the HT and DHT demanding I answer the phone and fix it Oh those were [un]Happy Days
zag Posted January 10, 2014 Posted January 10, 2014 Yep just had this happen to me also on the Autumn 2 2013 update. Why can't Capita fix this?
fiza Posted January 10, 2014 Posted January 10, 2014 Yep just had this happen to me also on the Autumn 2 2013 update. Why can't Capita fix this? Had the same when we came back on Monday after the Autumn 2 update.
Dan_G Posted January 16, 2014 Posted January 16, 2014 Every update.... every PC that needs exams access... first job the day after is reinstall SIMS. Does giving a user local admin rights allow them to successfully upgrade it? (Not that it's an ideal solution by any means...) 1
zag Posted January 16, 2014 Posted January 16, 2014 Every update.... every PC that needs exams access... first job the day after is reinstall SIMS. Does giving a user local admin rights allow them to successfully upgrade it? (Not that it's an ideal solution by any means...) No I tried that and it didn't work. It requires me to login and push a re-install from solus 3. @PhilNeal could you push this one up the priority list please. Its clear that its re-producible and lots of people are effected.
scebe427 Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 *Only from a distant memory, so this information may not be valid any longer* - part of the installation calls the Regasm.exe tool to register a .NET assembly (SIMS) for use by a COM client (Exams). If the user performing the install doesn't have permissions to run that tool, or to write to the registry locations that the tool uses, then the new .NET assembly delivered with the update won't be registered properly and Exams will produce that error.
matt40k Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 (edited) @scebe427 - that's what we thought, but @zag has had this with it being deployed via S3, assuming it's done correctly, it would be installed as the local service account, so it won't be permissions. The only thing I can think that it could be is if the virtualstore came into play, but this would only affect a certain user and you would have a entry in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\VirtualStore\MACHINE\... blah blah. The only other thing I can think of is session 0 but I doubt it. Still we both no the true answer - rewrite Exams etc in .net! Edited January 17, 2014 by matt40k
scebe427 Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 If it is the LocalService account it may still not have permissions. The LocalSystem account probably would do though. Another weird scenario would be: * SIMS open or third party connecting SIMS app running * Upgrade happens - because files are in use they don't get replaced right away, so new assembly not registered * After reboot, new files put in place via PendingFileRenameOperations * SIMS loads fine, but Exams throws error Seems unlikely, but is possible as I think I tried this in the past.
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